Midweek run: Leazes 'freedom' parkrun

It always feels too soon getting back to the midweek runs after a parkrun on Saturday. Nevertheless, a day of no meetings (how rare!) meant I afforded myself the luxury of heading up to Leazes Park and doing the full parkrun up there before heading back to the office. So, given it was a properly measured 5K rather than the usual GPS nonsense, let's cut to the chase: what was my time?

25:39. Another (parkrun) personal best, baby! And by some margin! 🏆

Conditions were pretty good today: dry, sunny and cool, if a little windy. The park wasn't too busy either; the only real impediments I faced were a couple of crowds of pigeons and geese that people were feeding by the lake. (Besides, my loud clapping as I approached them improved the bird clearance on the later laps, even if it probably drew stares.) On the whole, a nice day for a run.

With both Google Fit and Pace Control timing me again today, neither of them gave a good report. 😞 Granted, they won't be helped by the tree cover, but Fit was characteristically generous with distance while Pace Control was remarkably mean and demotivating. I swear it kept on telling me I was on a 5:45 pace, when the truth was significantly better.

(Ignore the 25:46 in the image above; with 2 apps timing me, I was fumbling to stop this second one.)

Still, at least I didn't feel sick today, like at the one parkrun I've done here before. And while the downhills didn't feel as good as last time, the flat-ish sections didn't feel as uphill either. I did still find myself struggling on the approach to the lake, mind.

The main thing I got from today though — apart from the fact I can beat 26 minutes on a genuine parkrun course — is that Laura from Couch to 5K was very wise regarding her insistence that you need to keep moving after your run. Today, I'd gone alarmingly lightheaded as I rounded the final corner on the course, so when I finished, I immediately sat down on a nearby bench for a few minutes. Getting up after that, it felt like my calf muscles were going to snap! AGONY! I stretched all I could, but it was too late and I pretty much hobbled back to the office in pain. Getting out of my office chair had a similar result, so I spent the afternoon with the desk in its standing configuration. Think I'll have at least a couple of days' rest before the next run. And maybe next time I'll keep moving. 🙄

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